GLASS CEILING

10.17.131:50 PM ET

Women Start to Crack Into Israeli Film Industry

What took so long?

Something’s not kosher in the Israeli film industry: Four female filmmakers are blowing up in Israel, and speaking out about the lack of women taking leading roles both behind the movie camera and in front of it. But lately, women are emerging in the countries’ movie biz in recent years, despite the male homogeny that has surrounded the film world for generations. According to Pilat Media reports, only 13 (roughly 10 percent) of the 130 locally made features shown in movie theaters between 2002 and 2010 were the handiwork of female directors. But things are starting to change now: Haartz reports that 19 of the 60 movies greenlit in the past few years are being made by women. Screenwriter-director Maya Dreifuss told Haartz that places the recent surge into an increase due to a stronger presence by female film students at university—and it’s only going to grown more, especially with her estimate that 50 percent of the film students are women.